Monday, 28 July 2014 00:00
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By Ilya Pozin
Is your EQ (emotional intelligence) more important than your IQ when it comes to nabbing your dream job? An increasing amount of employers are putting down the resume (or, at least, putting it aside) in order to evaluate candidates on their emotional intelligence.
Recently, even Google got rid of its famous brain teaser interview questions in hopes of finding out more about candidates, like their ability to work with others and synthesise their past experiences into concrete examples of value.
“For every job, though, the No. 1 thing we look for is general cognitive ability, and it’s not IQ. It’s learning ability,” Laszlo Block, Head of People Operations, told The New York Times. “It’s the ability to process on the fly. It’s the ability to pull together disparate bits of information.”
Daniel Goleman introduced emotional intelligence to the masses in 1995 with his book ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’, which spent quite a bit of time on the top of The New York Times Bestseller List. Emotional intelligence is made up of several important soft skills, like self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. More employers are finding EQ to be a good predictor of future job performance and leadership ability.
Why is emotional intelligence important?
EQ is actually a good measure of future success on the job. Your EQ tells employers whether you can work collaboratively, the depth of your communication skills, your leadership potential, and even how well you’ll be able to learn from your mistakes. In fact, researches from Talent Smart shows 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotional reactions.
Another study, this one from Virginia Commonwealth University and published in the Journal of Organisational Behavior, found emotionally intelligent people also tended to make the best workers. It makes sense, since those with emotional intelligence can regulate emotions, work closely with others, and aren’t afraid of admitting fault and learning from mistakes.
How are employers using EQ?
A CareerBuilder survey found 71% of employer’s value emotional intelligence over IQ, so it’s not surprising more companies are starting to look for EQ in the hiring process. In 2012, the Society for Human Resource Management found 20% of companies were utilising personality and emotional intelligence assessments in the hiring process. In today’s employment marketplace, it can be more difficult than ever to determine if a candidate will be a good fit for the company culture.
Employers, recruiters, and staffing professionals are doing their best, but often are inundated with resumes and working with very little information about a candidate. The typical recruiter, after all, only scans a resume for six seconds, according to research by The Ladders. Emotional intelligence and personality testing can help employers get a better feel for a candidate, and help a candidate give a better impression of their hard-to-quantify soft skills.
There are a wide variety of tests to gauge EQ being used by employers, like the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, which consists of 140 questions judging emotional understanding. These tests are becoming more commonplace in the hiring processes of organisations of all sizes to avoid the curse of a bad hire.
How can your EQ lead to your dream job?
Emotional intelligence tests can’t be gamed, but you can put in a little extra work to identify your best traits and focus on those traits you have which might require a little finessing. To improve your EQ score, you can take free tests from companies like Talent Smart and My Skills Profile, which allow you to get a better idea of your strengths and weaknesses. Improving emotional intelligence takes time, and knowing yourself is a lifelong journey. These tests can help you drill down into problem areas and help you identify your best traits.
Of course, tests aren’t the only way employers are utilising emotional intelligence. The interview is the most powerful tool for displaying your emotional intelligence, and you can very much use the opportunity to your advantage. Make sure to highlight the collaborative work you’ve done in the past, and use concrete examples of how you’ve brought value to former companies. If you spearheaded an initiative, dreamed up a big idea, or even just organised a company sports league, let your interviewers know.
Most importantly, don’t forget your career passion in the quest to impress your interviewers. The best candidates are those who are truly genuine about their passion for the industry, the company, and the position. Show off the ways you’re passionate – this could be anything from talking about the industry-related blog you run to the networking events you help organise in your spare time. By combining your passion and emotional intelligence, you’ll become a top contender for most companies.
Emotional intelligence is on the rise, and more employers are turning to tests and assessments to ensure candidates will be a good fit. This can actually be great news for job seekers looking for their dream job, since it means companies are more open to finding the perfect person, even if they don’t have the perfect resume. It’s up to you to wow employers with your collaborative abilities, your EQ, and your passion for the job.
What do you think? Should employers rely on EQ? How can you demonstrate your emotional intelligence? Share in the comments!
